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2 2014 The IDEA Partnership National Association of State Directors of Special Education, Inc. 225 Reinekers Lane Suite 420 Alexandria, VA Phone: Fax: Recommended citation: Cashman, J., Linehan, P., Purcell, L., Rosser, M., Schultz, S., & Skalski, S. (2014). Leading by convening: A blueprint for authentic engagement. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Directors of Special Education. The contents of this publication were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, #H326A However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Renee Bradley. Principal Investigator, Bill East. Warger, Eavy and Associates produced this publication.

4 Acknowledgments The IDEA Partnership is grateful to the incredible number of stakeholders who, through their commitment to improving outcomes for children and youth, have engaged in initiatives that have shaped this document. Their willingness to share, struggle and transform how we work together gives hope for wider system change. We are particularly grateful to the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) at the U.S. Department of Education for its support of these efforts and for forging a new role for federal agencies as learning partners. Since the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and through its subsequent reauthorization in 2004, policymakers, administrators, practitioners and families have come together to find common ground, reach out to others interested in the same issues and create positive joint solutions to identified problems. The diversity among the 50 national organizations, technical assistance providers and organizations and agencies at both the state and local level has enriched us all as we have grown to recognize that building human relationships is the key to working together for practice change. Special appreciation goes to hundreds of decision makers, implementers and family members who participated both on- and off-site during the Development Meeting (December 2012), the Annual IDEA Partnership Meeting (January 2013) and the National Community of Practice on Transition Meeting (May 2013). This document is the result of the collective input, editing suggestions, interviews and stories from these individuals and evidences the power of engagement through convening. The Core Writing Team included: Joanne Cashman Director, IDEA Partnership Patrice Cunniff Linehan IDEA Partnership Staff Luann Purcell Council of Administrators of Special Education Mariola Rosser IDEA Partnership Staff Sharon Schultz National Education Association Stacy Skalski National Association of School Psychologists ii

5 Authentic Engagement Doing the Work Together Leading by Convening Coalescing Around Issues Section One Ensuring Relevant Participation Why We Need a Blueprint on Authentic Stakeholder Engagement In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) launched a new strategy to bring general and special education into learning partnerships across families, practitioners, administrators and policymakers. The four linked partnerships were designed to build the relationships necessary to accomplish the practice changes in the 1997 landmark amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). These changes were called landmark changes because they broke new ground in the education of students with disabilities. These changes are widely accepted and almost commonplace today; however, they were quite controversial at the time. Several of the most prominent changes were: Students with disabilities should have access to the general curriculum. Students with disabilities should participate in statewide assessments. Funding formulas for special education should be placement neutral. The connection between behavior and academics was established and positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) was introduced. The potential impact of the issues was significant. The range of stakeholders was huge. Could these groups, that did not hold the same perspective regarding the changes in the law, become allies? This was the challenge of the IDEA Partnership. 1

6 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement In 15 years of working together, we have learned valuable lessons about practice change though partnership. One of the most important was our ability to discover shared values and interests. For years, our commonality was masked by different vocabulary and unique identities; we lacked the relationships needed to actively engage with enough frequency to gain trust. We became united in promoting a new kind of collaboration. Most people think that they are good collaborators, but our shared experience told us that most collaboration happens at a fairly low level. Early in our partnership, we began to define how we wanted to engage each other. Gradually, shallow collaboration was replaced by authentic engagement that allowed us to act together when we were in agreement and made it safer to talk about issues on which we did not agree. This blueprint is the product of our journey. In examining our blueprint, we hope that you will find validation for your efforts at shared work and learn some new strategies that have worked for us. Authentic Engagement: The Partnership Way This document began as an effort to manualize the strategy developed through OSEP s investment in the IDEA Partnership. It has become much more. In developing this blueprint, we recognized that this work is about our shared experience in creating learning partnerships across stakeholders who work in the same landscape of practice. Further, we realized that this strategy has real importance in today s complex and interconnected systems. The Blueprint Development Process In September, 2012, key leaders from organizations in the IDEA Partnership decided that we needed to make our learning explicit. They were clear that we needed a tool that would leave no doubt as to the kind of collaboration that we believe is needed to achieve a change in practice. Two national organizations, the Council of Special Education Administrators and the National Association of School Psychologists, were designated to coordinate the development of a blueprint for authentic engagement that built on our work in states and in organizations. In December, 2012, 16 participants met onsite and 20 contributors participated online. Over two days, the text of this blueprint was written by those collaborators. They represented decision makers, administrators, practitioners and families. They worked in special and general education. They were from national organizations, state agencies and local schools. In short, they represented the roles that must work together to implement IDEA. After talking together, they wrote based on their past experiences and their shared ideas of what authentic collaboration should look like in practice. In January 2013, 100 persons from an array of roles who attended the annual meeting of the IDEA Partnership reviewed the concepts and used critical pieces of the document during the meeting. Their ideas were incorporated into the next draft. In May 2013, 68 individuals from national organizations and state teams worked together onsite for two days using the blueprint to improve interagency collaboration around transition. Their suggestions informed the next draft. For a list of contributors, see Appendix One. It should be abundantly clear that we tried to model active engagement in the development of the blueprint. The final version shares our lessons learned and recognizes the heavy influence of Etienne Wenger s work on Communities of Practice and Ronald Heifetz s work on technical and adaptive change. 2

7 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement We have found that relationships are undervalued as a strategic investment. Over time, we began to talk about the value of relationships as The Partnership Way. The Partnership Way no longer refers to the IDEA Partnership, but rather the strategy of partnership that builds connections and fosters authentic engagement through leading by convening. The lessons in this document are grounded in our shared experience, but draw on experiences far beyond our work. They build on what each of us knows from our own experience as participants, collaborators and leaders. One of our partners recently referred to the potential The Partnership Way no longer refers to the IDEA Partnership, but rather the strategy of partnership that builds connections and fosters authentic engagement through leading by convening. value of this work as the new discipline of engagement that will have prominence in a world now connected by social learning approaches. Other partners have described this as the leadership strategy of the future in systems that demand greater transparency. As you explore and apply the concepts in this blueprint, you will form your own ideas about the relevance and usefulness of relationships and engagement as strategy. The Story of Our Experience In 1997, there were landmark amendments to IDEA. Students with disabilities were expected to have access to the general curriculum, learn what their peers were learning and have their progress measured through largescale assessment programs. It was clear that progress in practice would require engaging stakeholders beyond special education. Across the nation, these relationships were not uniformly in place. To address this need, OSEP decided to fund a partnership of professional and family organizations that would work at the national and state levels to customize information and support the use of research-based practices. This investment, the IDEA Partnership, was first funded as four linked partnerships. In the beginning, each partnership addressed a different audience, but soon the strategy was reformulated to create a unified partnership that embraced the array of roles connecting research, policy, practice and people. The IDEA Partnership was crafted as an investment that works on the technical and the human side of change. Today, 50+ IDEA partner organizations, together with OSEP, form a community with the potential and intention to transform the way we work and improve outcomes for all students, especially students with disabilities. We did not always enjoy the close working relationships that we have today. We had significant differences in perspective and power, yet the participation of every partner was important to reach the goals established under IDEA. We had to find a way through our differences to our commonalities. Our lessons learned are in this blueprint. For 15 years, the IDEA Partnership has been continuously learning how stakeholders can join with decision makers to achieve what has not been accomplished through other strategies. This blueprint makes our learning explicit. In it, we focus on authentic engagement as the core commitment and convening as the leadership strategy that makes learning partnerships possible. 3

8 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement Leadership Design: Top Down, Bottom Up or Both When we think about leadership, one of two primary approaches often comes to mind. The formal leadership we most often experience is a top-down design grounded in authority and formal channels of influence. Yet, contemporary issues often demand another more informal kind of leadership one that rises up from the bottom, from the stakeholders who are impacted by the decisions being made. Here, we compare characteristics of top-down and bottom-up models of leadership. We acknowledge that there are times when one is more appropriate than the other or when one is more beneficial based on context. However, there are times and issues that call for a leadership model that bridges policy and practice, a shared leadership model that honors what decision makers, practitioners and consumers know and are willing to do on an issue. We propose a hybrid model based on convening that respects both authority and influence. Top-Down Leadership In a top-down model of leadership, one person or a small group of people make decisions and share those with others for implementation. As decisions are being made, leaders sometimes consult and invite input from others. Their ideas may, or may not, be incorporated into the final policy decision or action plan. In this model, responsibility for the policy or plan resides with the leadership. In this model, speed is a priority. High-stakes finance, final budget allocations and situations where statutory or regulatory language set parameters may require a top-down style of leadership. Bottom-Up Leadership In a bottom-up model of leadership, those affected by the issue bring their drive for practice change into a learning partnership based on research, data and diverse perspectives. They look for solutions and create an action plan. Action is driven by shared recognition of persistent problems and consensus on strategies. Leadership roles are not fixed in a bottom-up process. Leaders emerge based on knowledge, level of experience and skills needed at a particular point in time. Engagement, evident in a bottom-up model, takes more time than a top-down model. However, the benefits are many. There are more opportunities for perspective sharing during the search for workable strategies. A broader array of perspectives leads to a broader spectrum of possible solutions. And, most importantly, bottom-up decision making and implementation leads to natural supports for sustainability as strategies have been proposed, validated and implemented by those at the practice level. Moreover, sustainability is shared by a larger network of key implementers. The Partnership Way of Leadership We describe our operational style as a hybrid of these two leadership designs. It requires that leaders, regardless of title, accept the value of bringing groups with authority and groups with influence together in a shared leadership strategy. This style supports authentic engagement. Leading in Place: Stories of Leadership Choices that Work While individuals have a tendency toward one leadership style or another, they can learn to be open to different styles. At the same time, no one style always works. Context has a lot to do with how individual leaders work. In the following stories you will see leaders at the school, district and state level grapple with the challenges of implementing practice change. The text boxes provide some insights into the style that they chose to use in their situation. As you read, ask yourself, What style would I use? Playing Offense in Georgia Building a Team for Sustainable Change in a Rural High School Georgia Principal Chip Medders drove an academic turnabout at Manchester High School when he took a detour from his comfort zone five years ago and invited a 4

9 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement Who How Why Partnership: A Hybrid of Top Down and Bottom Up Leading: Top-Down Model Leading: Bottom-Up Model Leading by Convening: The Partnership Way Senior administrator(s) drive policy decisions. Designated specialists contribute and carry out work. Invite interested participants to a meeting. Solicit and consider input from participants. Administrators chart path, make decisions and empower others to take action. Responsibility resides with the leader. He or she has the most say. Leader driven; autocratic or small core group of people. Representatives of a cross-stakeholder group have influence in guiding actions and decision making. Dynamic leader(s) convene(s) group. Interested parties join together. Creative agreement strategies are used to bring the group to consensus. Group charts the path and direct action. Leaders emerge. Buy-in across groups is desired. Responsibility resides with all. Grassroots investment engages participants and empowers action. Broad commitment to implementation. Groups with authority over the issue join with groups that have influence in the field. Persons with expertise and/or experience share knowledge and skills. Representatives of diverse stakeholder groups engage through consensus to identify issues, solve problems and take action. Leading by convening. Sharing perspectives among the members of the group. Sharing leadership opportunities and responsibilities, based on role, expertise and needs of the group in specific contexts or situations. Attending to both the human and technical elements of change; building relationships. Decision makers, practitioners and consumers understand that collective influence has the potential to change outcomes. Stakeholders with authority and influence have a role and their interactions produce value. Building relationships across roles and levels broadens the area of impact and supports sustainability. Sustainable after current leaders have moved on. 5

10 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement diversified group of school, family and community stakeholders to coalesce around some very alarming school data. The new C.A.F.E. (Circles of Adults Focusing on Education) Dialogue Stakeholder Team appreciated the transparency of Principal Medders, and reacted with concern not with accusations about the piling up of problems including declining test scores, high absenteeism, little parent involvement, low graduation rates and a revolving door for frustrated staff. Principal Medders then took an even bigger leap of faith by asking the team to roll up their sleeves and help him turn it around. Four years later, Manchester High School, located in a rural farmland community of about 3,800 residents, had increased its graduation rate for general education students from 60 percent to 94.7 percent. In the same time period, the graduation rate for students with disabilities had increased from 28 percent to approximately 63 percent. And, one year later, Manchester was one of 10 high schools in Georgia that won the Governor s Office of Student Achievement Gold Award for greatest gain in percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards. The C.A.F.E. dialogue process was part of the Georgia Department of Education s (GaDOE) five-year focus on family and community engagement. This initiative was funded by an OSEP State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG). The C.A.F.E. supports the adoption and use of evidence-based practices promoted in the Georgia SPDG s GraduateFIRST initiative implemented in collaboration with OSEP s National Drop Out Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities. Many factors played into the significant improvement of this high school, where 100 percent of the students qualify for the federal free lunch program, but Principal Medders is quick to identify the C.A.F.E. process as the conduit to change. He invited the community to see all the problems and work as a team to make changes. Together, we switched from a defensive position to an offensive one, said Medders, who before becoming principal was a special education teacher and is now a high school principal in a nearby county. The C.A.F.E. s impact was felt immediately using the tools of school improvement: evidence-based practices, a thorough drill on the data, coherent examination of all initiatives and administrative buy-in to proposed changes. By doing something differently recognizing the need for the right mix of community support and hands-on assistance and purposefully becoming inclusive and transparent in every aspect of its work the C.A.F.E. process resulted in significant change. C.A.F.E. uses two strategies learned and supported through the IDEA Partnership: the Dialogue Guide process and Communities of Practice. By inviting the full range of partners to learn from and with each other, Meriwether County leaders committed to making the necessary practice changes. Parents and community members, many of whom had been disengaged with the school, joined the C.A.F.E. and are still active today. Store owners, the sheriff, mechanics, realtors, parents of students who dropped out or were likely to drop out and many others came on board to provide multiple perspectives at the urging of the district s Parent Mentor, Ginger Henderson. A facilitator also kept the team focused and action oriented. The team s initial task was to create communitywide awareness of the pressing school issues as well as to create a sense of urgency. The team then collaborated to launch activities to support ongoing academic efforts, including adult mentors to homeroom advisories and the FBI Program (Fathers Being Involved) to encourage more adult male role models. The C.A.F.E. s work was intentional and often found solutions to a myriad of social issues impacting certain students that went far beyond what a school is typically capable of addressing. Georgia: The Partnership Way Groups with authority over the issue join with groups that have influence in the field. Persons with expertise and/or experience share knowledge and skills. Decision makers, practitioners and consumers understand that collective influence has the potential to change outcomes. 6

11 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement The C.A.F.E. at Manchester High School, which is in the Meriwether County School District, is a local adaptation of the IDEA Partnership s national effort to build shared meaning and personal resolve among a group that can exert influence on a critical education issue. It is the connection that brings all the federal and state investments together for local change. C.A.F.E. also builds on GaDOE s 12-year investment in the Georgia Parent Mentor Partnership, which is collaboratively supported by funding from OSEP, GaDOE and the local school districts. District Efforts in Indiana Mixing Leadership Approaches to Increase Student Literacy The Madison-Grant United School Corporation began a four-year professional growth process in K 12 literacy using the framework for authentic engagement developed by the IDEA Partnership. School district data, reflecting state and national student assessments, indicated poor student growth in English language arts. Data analysis by district administrators revealed at both the intermediate and middle school levels low student proficiency in reading comprehension and writing applications and, at the high school level, low student proficiency in writing and the use of sophisticated vocabulary. Leadership believed that to support student learning the district needed to invest in learning for faculty and staff. So, they engaged a literacy consultant to bring research knowledge and best practices information into the district. Indiana: Top Down District leaders: Analyzed state and national student performance data. Identified gaps in literacy. Determined professional development. Engaged a professional development provider to share research knowledge and best practice. Indiana: Bottom Up Primary teachers from across buildings: Identified a specific concern related to literacy instruction. Decided across buildings the what, why and how of needed supports to accomplish their goal. Accomplished buy-in for the resulting product and process across buildings, grade levels and teachers. After the initial sharing of information, building administrators in collaboration with teachers and specialized instructional support personnel, determined the areas of literacy they would address. The staff in each building looked at their own data and worked together to determine what additional information and what types of professional supports were needed. Crossing levels of scale, they accessed documents and information from the Indiana Department of Education, technical assistance centers and independent researchers. Support strategies were discussed and matched to teacher and staff level of learning (consultation, collaboration, coaching). Interested stakeholders were engaged at multiple points in the process. In addition to the teachers, specialized instructional support personnel, building administrators and others impacting or impacted Indiana: The Partnership Way Collaborative Learning and Implementation Cross-stakeholder engagement: teachers, specialized support personnel, administrators, students, parents and community. Attendance to the technical and human side of change: matching support process to teacher/staff request/need. Supporting sustainability: teacher expertise develops into teacher leadership and/ or mentoring situations. 7

12 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement by the initiative were involved in the work. Not least of all, students engaged in discussions about what did and did not work for them as learners. As the process has evolved over the succeeding three years, teachers have developed expertise in differing areas and have taken on mentoring and leadership roles in their respective buildings and across buildings. Additionally, dialogue occurred throughout this time with parents and community members. As a result, parents demonstrated increased awareness and support for the literacy initiative and a local foundation grant supported funding for professional development opportunities. Throughout the evolution of this initiative, one issue stands out as an example of bottom-up decision making. In this midwestern small town, rural district with three elementary buildings, primary teachers raised similar questions across the buildings with regard to research, best practice and appropriate materials to support student acquisition of skills in phonemic awareness and phonics. Up to this point in time, each school had been addressing the standards in differing sequences and with inconsistent use of different materials. Several teachers began their own research on best practices; others began searching for quality materials available both in and out of the district. They then decided they needed additional help to research best practice and delineation of appropriate sequence of skill instruction, as the standards had gaps. With facilitation, they developed a scope and sequence of student mastery that was accepted by all and implemented in all three elementary buildings. Lessons from the State and Stakeholders in Colorado Authentic Engagement is Becoming the Norm for Creating School Reform In the early part of the 21 st century, the implementation of Response to Intervention (RTI) processes in local schools was beginning to emerge in the state of Colorado. Recognizing the potential for improving intervention services to students, the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) began systematically working to scale up RTI practices in the state. The early leaders of this initiative recognized the importance of having a forum where multiple stakeholders could collaborate in support of this work. As a result, the CDE created what it called the Colorado RTI Community of Practice. This Community of Practice brought together CDE personnel and local practitioners to engage in monthly discussions of problems of practice related to the successful implementation of RTI. This group included personnel representing multiple departments in the CDE (prevention; language, culture and equity; Title I; Gifted and Talented Education; Special Education; and Standards) as well as school-based practitioners (school psychologists, special education teachers and school administrators). The original purpose of this Community of Practice was primarily for open discussion about what people were seeing in the field and as a forum that could identify the professional practice issues that needed to be addressed. In October 2009, CDE was awarded a SPDG by the U.S. Department of Education that allowed the state to dive deeper into this scaling up work, including expanding the use of Communities of Practice. The grant helped fund the formation of several new Communities of Practice that were designed to look at some of the issues that were emerging about professional roles and practices of various personnel, as well as some of the systems and supports that were needed to fully engage families as partners in education. This grant also gave birth to new partnerships between the CDE and the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), the IDEA Partnership and the RTI Action Network. Each of these national partners brought new insights and opportunities for CDE. From the partnership with NASP came consultative support for building a variety of Communities of Practice. One such effort sought to expand understanding about the training, roles and services of school psychologists and how these professionals might contribute more effectively to RTI in the schools. In turn, a Community of Practice focusing on the roles of bilingual school psychologists and social workers was formed and continues to meet regularly, pursuing an active agenda addressing professional practices, school collaboration and professional development. Also in 2009, the Colorado General Assembly established the State Advisory Council for Parent Involvement in Education (SACPIE) that was given the charge to review best practices and recommend to policy makers and educators strategies to increase parent involvement in 8

13 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement public education (C.R.S (2), 2012). Concurrently, CDE opted to form the Family-School-Community Partnership Community of Practice that links CDE leaders, school practitioners, family regional resource center staff and family representatives together. The work of this group has led to the development of more effective collaboration and resources to support schools and families. Additionally, the leadership of this Community of Practice was appointed to chair the SACPIE, creating the opportunity for these two groups to combine their efforts and truly transform practice at the state and local levels. From the partnership with the RTI Action Network, a new Community of Practice on state-level implementation of RTI was formed that focused on examining practices specific to state-level implementation of RTI. This Community of Practice brought together state-level implementation leaders interested in exploring issues related to policies and procedures, compliance, funding, how to best support local education agencies and how to better integrate existing practices such as PBIS with RTI. The collaboration with the national IDEA Partnership helped nurture a deeper understanding of the theoretical foundations of Communities of Practice, the critical functions of this work as described by Community of Practice theorist Etienne Wenger and the potential for more sustainable collaborations. In fact, in the last three years, a transformation of the original Colorado RTI Community of Practice has occurred. Through experience in working across stakeholder groups, this Community of Practice has moved well beyond its original purpose as a monthly discussion forum to a Community of Practice that is actively producing work to guide the field in meaningful practice for students. For example, this group used the community to create, pilot and evaluate fidelity of implementation rubrics now being used by school districts across the state. Additionally, this Community of Practice is currently evaluating its work against the essential functions of Communities of Practice described by Wenger (2002) as being to educate, support, cultivate, encourage and integrate. The Colorado RTI Community of Practice is currently conducting a self-evaluation of each of these functions by examining existing data and evidence that characterizes its work in all five areas. This evaluation process is helping the Colorado: The Partnership Way Groups with authority over the issue join with groups that have influence in the field. Persons with expertise and/or experience share knowledge and skills. Building relationships across roles and levels broadens the area of impact and supports sustainability. Decision makers, practitioners and consumers understand that collective influence has the potential to change outcomes. The Community of Practice strategy brings coherence across investments. Community of Practice plan for future work and is creating an opportunity for the group to really celebrate its accomplishments. Overall, utilizing Communities of Practice is emerging as the new norm for doing effective and sustainable school reform work in Colorado. Leading by Convening A Guiding Framework Leading by convening, as we describe it, is an overarching idea, a guiding framework and a new discipline for leaders at every level. We envision this framework to include habits of interaction, elements of interaction and depth of interaction. Three habits of interaction are drawn from our work with Etienne Wenger in Communities of Practice. The habits we work to instill in individuals, organizations and agencies include coalescing around issues, ensuring relevant participation and doing work together. Each section of the blueprint is organized around these three habits. Each habit is further examined to describe three elements of collaboration. The elements of interaction are informed by the work of Heifetz and Linsky on technical 9

14 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement and adaptive change. Throughout the blueprint we have described the technical and adaptive aspects that demand consideration. As a partnership, we further describe operational elements. Operational elements are the decisions that a group makes after considering both the technical and adaptive sides of an issue. Operational elements are articulated at the end of each section. Based on our work together, we recognized that depth of interaction also was an important aspect to describe. Over time, the partners have used four levels to talk about our work together. These levels progress from typical interactions (described as Informing) through deepening interactions (described as Networking and Collaborating) and conclude with individual and system changes (described as Transforming). The rubrics at the conclusion of each section map the depth of interaction to the operational decisions and provide a standard by which to measure progress on interaction. A way to envision the entire framework is provided in the graphic representation, The Partnership Way: Leading by Convening. The habits, elements and depths of interaction are nested within the more encompassing leadership behavior, leading by convening. The habits of interaction, elements of interaction and depths of interaction will be discussed further in the following pages. Establishing Habits of Interaction In 2007, we undertook our first attempt to describe how working across groups could address persistent problems of practice. The product, Communities of Practice: A New Approach to Solving Educational Problems, is still instructive. While working on that resource, Etienne Wenger helped us to understand the social discipline of learning by asking these questions in the foreword. What shared concerns are going to bring people together in meaningful ways? Who should be at the table to ensure real progress in practice? What should participants be doing together to increase their individual and collective learning and ability to act? Who has the skill, legitimacy and leadership to convene these groups? He posed these questions around several actionable behaviors that defined our habits of interaction: Doing the Work Together. He also helped us understand the need for a new leadership style, leading by convening. Conveners translate complex work into ways that individuals can contribute. They bring stakeholders together through insight, networking, The Partnership Way Leading by Convening Habits of Interaction Coalescing Around Issues Ensuring Relevant Participation Elements of Interaction Doing the Work Together Adaptive Technical Operational Depth of Interaction Informing Networking Collaborating Transforming 10

15 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement inspiration and humility (Wenger, as cited in Cashman, Linehan, and Rosser, 2007). They create the conditions for people to come together. These principles have permeated our thoughts and led us to articulate how leading by convening enables authentic engagement, and how engagement opens opportunities for shared work and sustainable practice change. Elements of Interaction Addressing Challenges as a Critical Element of Sustainable Change Creating change when change is needed is a worthy effort. Implementation science (Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005) is teaching us much about what it will take to introduce new practices and how to go about installing them and maintaining them with fidelity. While we are learning how to increase the likelihood that new practices will endure, sustaining change continues to be a challenge. Change often depends on learning the new practice while sustainability depends on individual acceptance of the change and integrating it into our personal behavior. We have found that sustaining practice change depends on the four Cs: content, context, contact and communication. Several researchers have influenced our thinking about this. Dean Fixsen s work on implementation helped us with content and context. Etienne Wenger s work on Communities of Practice helped us establish the habits of interaction that address contact and communication. These variables were brought into a new focus when we became acquainted with the work of organizational theorists Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky. They have shaped our thinking on sustainable change. In their 2002 book, Leadership on the Line, they pose two critical challenges to implementing change. Technical challenges are those that can be solved by the knowledge of experts. These elements come into play when the problem definition, solution and plan implementation are clear. For example, research identifies early warning signs for academic failure. The technical challenge can be met by sharing the information with educators and implementing the strategies. Adaptive challenges are those that require new learning, those for which there is no clear-cut problem definition and solution. Adaptive challenges require experimentation, discovery and/or adjustment to past practice. Adaptive change is about the human elements of change: values and beliefs, relationships and buy-in or lack thereof. When asking people to think differently, act differently and believe differently, the success rate is often less than if the solution relies on technical elements alone. For example, in the preceding situation, the technical information is necessary but not sufficient. Adaptive strategies also are needed to address behavior changes in both staff and students. Based on our efforts to work across groups, the IDEA Partnership added operational elements that help leaders to act in full consideration of both the technical and adaptive challenges. Operational elements bridge from ideas to goals and actions. They define what each of the players will be doing to address the technical and adaptive issues. Operational decisions supporting the technical side of change focus on the content and infrastructure necessary for implementation. Operational decisions in support of the adaptive side focus on the human aspects of change the attitudes or behaviors that support or constrain change. The ongoing challenge of leadership is to approach change in a way that fully addresses both the technical and adaptive elements. Operationalizing this belief demands a leadership style that is inclusive, collaborative, authentic and engaging. This is the spirit of partnership and leadership pioneered through the IDEA partners. Moving to Deeper Levels of Interaction As our work across groups deepened, the partners began to notice the varying levels of interactions. Not all potential partners could or even wanted to engage at deep levels, but all could be included. With time and with ongoing participation, groups are able to see their own interest 11

16 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement in working together. When this happens engagement deepens. We describe four levels of interaction: informing, networking, collaborating and transforming. Informing Sharing or disseminating information with others who care about the issue. Networking Asking others what they think about this issue and listening to what they say. Collaborating Engaging people in trying to do something of value and working together around the issue. Transforming Doing things The Partnership Way (leading by convening, cross-stakeholder engagement, shared leadership, consensus building). Working in The Partnership Way changed who we are as collaborators. It is not easy and it does not happen quickly. We have learned that we must do more than simply say we are attending to the elements of change; we must work at it. We must stretch individually and organizationally. Tools and Learning Activities As we have worked in states and districts, we found the need to develop tools to communicate concepts and generate ideas. In different states, we had to customize the tools, but they were almost always needed. We have compiled and edited those tools for your use. You will find them referenced at the end of the corresponding sections and in the appendices. Each tool or learning activity has a history. Each was developed based on a recognized need. We believe that you will face some of the same challenges in communicating the behavior change expressed in this blueprint. These tools are provided to reinforce the concepts. You may need to customize them for your needs and may even want to develop some of your own. We will continue to develop tools and learning activities and they will be made available on the blueprint link (www.ideapartnership.org). Throughout this document, we describe what it means to work and lead in The Partnership Way. Again, although this term began as a reference to the IDEA Partnership, we now use it to describe the authentic engagement achieved through convening and shared leadership. The Partnership Way is a hybrid leadership style of leading by convening, incorporating elements and strategies from both top-down and bottom-up models. 12

17 Coalescing Around Issues Coalescing Around Issues Leading by Convening Section Two The first triad in the development of The Partnership Way describes a habit of practice in which groups of people come together around shared concerns or problems of practice that they want to resolve. We call this habit Coalescing Around Issues. Inherent in coalescing around an issue is commonality: commonality of need, commonality of purpose and commonality of action. This triad focuses on inclusion of multiple partners who come from differing and unique roles and bring new perspectives to the issue or problem. As individuals with differing backgrounds and experiences share and think together, all benefit by seeing what one might not otherwise see. In our IDEA Partnership work we have identified both adaptive and technical elements that, when practiced consistently, develop the habit of coalescing around issues. 13

18 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement Coalescing Around Issues: Adaptive and Human Elements 1. Value each and all perspectives. 2. Acknowledge individuality of language in discussing the issue. 3. Agree upon data sources that contribute to understanding the issue. 4. Commit to reaching consensus through shared understanding in the group. 5. Acknowledge and agree that collective impact is greater than the individual impact. 6. Agree to move on specific actionable goals. 1 Value Each and All Perspectives Openly demonstrating the value of each and all participants is central to a safe environment where participants can share, think and problem solve together. It is essential to avoid conveying that some participants are more important than others. Implementing strategies to support active, ongoing participation of diverse stakeholders demonstrates that each and all perspectives have value. Ensure group interaction that is frequent enough to help participants feel they are in this together. Provide ample time to express current understanding of the issue and to gain one another s perspective. Encourage active involvement of participants by creating multiple opportunities to engage and redefine the issue. Take advantage of available electronic connections between face-to-face meetings (e.g., webinars, electronic meeting space, conference calls, and Listservs). Continue outreach to others who are interested in or linked to the issue in some way, using existing networks to reach out and invite others, paying particular attention to ensuring minority voices are present. Keep nonparticipating groups informed and continue to invite those who don t join in from the beginning. Those who are not participating are welcome to join the group at any time and at any point in the process. 2 Acknowledge Individuality of Language in Discussing the Issue When first coming together, issues need to be described through vocabulary that is used by the array of partners. There is the element of learning each other s language before the partners can agree on common terms that will be used in their shared work. As persons from differing roles gather together and begin discussion of a common issue, they often find that role-specific or career-specific language may hinder understanding of each other. Participants are encouraged to ask for clarification when someone uses a term or acronym with which others are unfamiliar. Discussions of vocabulary and terminology need to be public so that connections can be explored and made. Creating lists of new terminology or terms that have the same meaning is often helpful to the group. Ultimately, common language for the partnership work can be agreed upon and shared externally as well as used internally. 3 Agree Upon Data Sources that Contribute to Understanding the Issue A diverse group of stakeholders brings diverse perspectives and identifies with diverse data sets. Stakeholders point to statistical and anecdotal data that resonate with their constituencies and should be included in discussions of the issues. Using a process to determine the data upon which all can agree is essential to reaching agreement within the group and to supporting future work together. Determine necessary data. Consider the questions of relevancy and focus on the issue(s) being addressed. Collect evidence of the negative and positive sides of the issue. Go beyond statistical data to qualitative, anecdotal and substantiated stories of the issue. 14

19 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement Analyze for meaning and accuracy. Are the data current? Are they from reliable sources? How much weight should be given to quantitative data versus qualitative data? Synthesize results together. Make connections between and among experiences, people and resources. 4 Commit to Reaching Consensus Through Shared Understanding in the Group Once a group of interested individuals identifies an issue of importance, members develop a shared understanding through discussions and exploration of the issue. There may still be variations in perspectives, yet all agree they can accept a joint statement about their work on the issue and begin moving forward. Expressing the common ground, while noting the things with which group members do not agree, is a key principle for developing this common understanding through consensus. Often consensus is evidenced by nodding heads, parallel body language, verbal commitment and a willingness to endorse the group s decisions. True consensus is reached when individuals continue talking about the agreed upon common messages after the meeting and the commitment is sustained over time. An important first step is to agree to work on the points of agreement until, over time and with continuing interactions, it becomes easier to talk about issues on which there is not current consensus. It is important to understand where the perspectives on the issues begin to diverge. This point must be respected as trust develops. 5 Acknowledge and Agree that Collective Impact is Greater than the Individual Impact The advantage of coming together from differing perspectives to address a common interest is that, together, individuals can make a greater impact than they can individually. While most or all of the group acknowledge this, it is important to verbalize it across the diversity of stakeholders. Once verbalized, acknowledged and agreed upon, a foundation for moving forward together in deeper collaboration is established. 6 Agree to Move on Specific Actionable Goals As the group begins to act together, it will need to develop an action plan. Action plans address specific technical elements that will be important to address the issue. Before the development of such a plan, it is wise to reiterate the specific actionable goals that will be translated into an action plan. At this stage, it this important to reaffirm the willingness of the group to align work scopes, messages to constituencies, etc., that will contribute to the development of the action plan. Coalescing Around Issues: Technical Elements 1. Describe the issue. 2. Outline the existing knowledge base. 3. Seek out and acknowledge related initiatives at differing levels of scale. 4. Develop mission, aspirational statement, guiding principles and ground rules of interaction. 5. Develop a process for continued engagement. 6. Develop work scope and actionable goals. 7. Use a process for reflection. 1 Describe the Issue When the goal is to address a particular issue or problem, it is important to separate out the issue from the broader picture. In the IDEA Partnership, we have found it helpful to deal with the full landscape of the issue first, to outline the broader picture and the specific pictures within that broad 15

20 Leading By Convening A Blueprint for Authentic Engagement landscape and then identify our coalescing issue(s). The process includes some specific actions: Acknowledge the broad areas that pertain to an issue; define the whole issue. Identify issues that contribute to the current situation from the perspectives of various stakeholders. Identify any pertinent data, evidence-based practices and present policies. Agree on which specific aspect(s) the group will tackle. As the group moves forward in agreement, we let others know we see the full landscape of the issue; however, this is the piece we can do right now. 2 Outline the Existing Knowledge Base For every issue there is a compendium of related theory, research and practice knowledge. It is important to establish the knowledge base and the evidence base that will inform the dialogue that will take place across stakeholders. As sources of knowledge may vary across groups, it is important to identify the knowledge base that influences the current thinking of each group. 3 Seek Out and Acknowledge Related Initiatives One of the unique characteristics of The Partnership Way is to ensure that an identified issue is not treated as though all the work begins with this effort. Honoring what others have done is part of the process of coalescing around the issue. Within and beyond the assembled group, related and aligned work is sought out and explored. The group seeks out information from different levels of scale (national, state, local and individual). Seeking out and learning about related initiatives that partners have undertaken helps group members to understand and build on the positives that have come before, develop a strong base on the issue and gain assistance in agreed upon efforts. As the group continues to work together, members keep looking for aligned issues and opportunities to engage with a broader group of diverse stakeholders. 4 Develop Mission, Aspirational Statement, Guiding Principles and Ground Rules of Interaction Inclusive work relies on commitment of the group members to the common statements that unite them. That commitment is more likely to sustain itself over time if certain key understandings including the following are collaboratively developed, written, shared and revisited often. Mission statement: A mission statement sets forth the purpose for which the group has come together. Typically, a well-articulated mission statement includes the what, how and why of what the group is doing/ planning on doing. It is best developed after open discussion of the issue and ways in which the group may address the issue. Aspirational statement: An aspirational statement describes what the change will look like in practice and how the group interactions will achieve it. It serves as a reminder of why the group is together and provides impetus for continuing with the plan. Guiding principles: Guiding principles are the unifying beliefs that are the foundation for collaborative efforts. They articulate what we believe about the importance of the issue, current conditions and what is possible as the group moves forward together. Guiding principles reflect respect for all. Ground rules of interaction: Inclusive practice is not always a natural way to behave and therefore requires some specific agreements that make the expectations explicit. Most often this involves describing the ways of communication and working together that convey a mutual respect, shared leadership and a willingness to consider change. Effective collaborations recognize that there will be disagreements. Ground rules set expectations for how differences will be handled and how the groups will return to common ground. Groups differ on the formality surrounding ground rules. Most often ground rules specify actions around convening, planning and communicating. For example, some leaders believe it is important to specify that all meetings both face-to-face and virtual will have a prepared agenda that is shaped by the group and driven by the work accomplished between meetings. Others are comfortable with a less structured 16

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